Hi, weekend warriors. I haven't fallen off the wagon. Just have been involved in some family stuff this past week that has kept me away from the computer. Routine blood test tomorrow and going out to a restaurant this evening to a birthday dinner for step-granddaughter, so I have to be extra careful on the carbs, sat fat, and cholesterol today, as well as very sure to get in my water. My exercise this past week has been practically non-existent.

Jenn, kudos on being down 1.5 lbs! Great job!

Robin, I always use cauliflower as a sub for potatoes. In fact, I've eaten it so often that I actually PREFER the taste of it to the taste of potatoes. For mashed I cook it until very tender (draining well, but saving some cooking water in case I need to thin it after mashing.) I mash it in my food processor adding whatever I would normally add to mashed potatoes. I also like it unmashed with cheese or a low carb cheese sauce or just smashed with stuff added to it to make it taste like a loaded baked potato (crumbled turkey bacon, salt substitute and pepper, chives, sour cream, butter substitute, etc.)

Hi Mern- there you are I was about to send a smoke signal Thanks for the info on the cauilflower. I am perhaps becoming more open minded about some healthier foods lol.

Darlene I walked 3k again. It took me 50 minutes but at least 1/2 was through a snowy, slushy wooded trail so no doubt walking in the snow was slowing me down (and winter boots). So I have 6k in this week. Not bad considering what kind of week it has been. I definitely feel like my stamina is returning.

Jenn I log my weight everyday. Not everyone thinks they should weigh themselves daily but I find that works best for me. I like the graph because I have a definite pattern as to how I lose lbs. Definitely not a straight line. Congratulations on your loss. I read that 10 lbs is the equivalent of one dress size. I logged my measurements as well, only a couple of times but again I like to have a graph. Both my waist and hips measurements have changed a bit.

Today I am trying some new recipes. One being "Quinoa Tabboulah". Hope it goes well.

It's a cold snowy day here, guess I should've done my shopping yesterday.
Had a good day yest - under 1400 :-) BUT not enough water - weekends are harder.
Robin, let us know how the quinoa recipe turns out, I'm collecting quinoa recipes as I find it a great substitute for the usual starches.
I'm going to have to try replacing potato with cauliflower after your comments . I like it.
Jenn, great job on weight loss last week, you inspire me :-)
Let's face it, we're all going to have good and bad days. motto - just keep on trying, there's no giving up! It's hard to change a lifetime of bad habits and not thinking about what we're doing to our bodies....It was a cardiac event that scared me into reality. I want to be around long enough to have grandchildren which are not in the near future yet! I quit smoking two years ago too. I was an off and on smoker.
Enough rambling, wishing you all a fantastic upcoming week :-)

1) Plan meals -yes, I didn't post it I had it in my notebook because my cable was down, yes, yes, yes I planned... yes, no
2) stick as close to plan as possible - no yes too...much...food; Thurs: umm fried oysters with Brie weren't on the plan, were they? smoked duck? Cookies...they were sf... no, there was no plan
3) 6 glasses water- ? yes, yes and 4 glasses of champagne cocktail; yes and no champagne, ?, no
4) Do not spend too much time online or on phone or doing chores. Write!!!!- I wrote 11 hours, a 750 word fiction piece (I rarely write fiction) It was so much fun!!! It helped that the internet was down; yes not as much as yesterday since I was mainly editing but yes; I was cooking for a big dinner but still managed to write, mostly journal, food and drink hangover, no writing F or S

I am up 4 or 5 lbs, yes, bye bye 120s ... I blame Mike haha for that incredible crawfish boil ( so much food!!! so cool to see how it is cooked!!!) We had so much fun DH and I refused to leave and Mike and his GF gave us dinner too. Great family, great time. Well behaved chilluns, cute doggies (yes I got to meet Close and Mytsie up close and personal) and of course, Stanley, so cool, such a nice little guy...

OK back on plan, which already I've broken...

egg whites and bacon: one egg, one white with bacon
1/2 burger and cole slaw or tuna on Ezkiel bread
chicken, zucchini, red pepper and onions
Snacks:
fruit: yes strawberries and raspberries
kale chips
burger (if not for lunch) or leftover chicken or ham and cheese or some combo therof
12-15 nuts
2 sf cookies at most, at most

Hey y'all... does anyone remember me? I haven't been on the site in, oh...6 months. I was doing really well up to that point. I had lost 35 pounds or so. Then I started losing motivation. Then I got a job three days a week at a thrift shop, which was great in some ways (running off my feet all day at work) and not so great in others (we get bread to give out for free to the customers, but whenever the bread guy has a special treat it goes on our lunch table, and the lunch table is always piled with cookies, cakes and pastries). I've gained back about ten pounds between working there and Christmas treats and winter slump.

I tried to get back on track February first and I wasn't feeling it and haven't lost anything. Then I thought, what was I doing that was different last year? And the answer was this thread.

Sooooo, I'm back and hoping to make it work this time. I know it's Sunday but I thought I'd say hi today and start with goals tomorrow. So hi!

Nobe! Hey, welcome back, girl! I remember when you were headed to a new job. We'll cheer you on as you work off those 10 lbs. So glad you realized our thread makes a difference. I regained a lot of weight, too--had been down to 207 last summer, so I'm right alongside you, having regained about 13 lbs. or so. I haven't had the courage to get on the scale lately.

Robin, you're welcome. I'm sure close to ALL of us could be more open minded about some healthier foods. Let us know how your Quinoa Tabboulah came out. Kudos on all your exercise!

Jezzie, that had to be really scary having that cardio event! I smoked for over 30 years--quit once for 7 years, started up again (stress caused me to not care) but I had the courage to quit again. Have been smoke free for another 5 years or more.

Jenn, I missed that you are down 9 lbs. from your highest weight! Way to go! You surely do deserve a new summer wardrobe!

Hope, you have done so well considering your recent vacations. Kudos on being back on plan, though. I have no doubt you'll be at goal weight pretty darned soon.

Hi Mern! Winter is so hard for weight loss. For me anyway. I just want blankets and comfort food. I'm hoping now that the weather is trying to perk up a bit, it'll get me motivated again. I need to get the ten pounds back off, and then get back to my original goal of 140. I hate that I need to work off the same ten pounds as last year.

I need to be accountable to someone else, and to have specific goals. This past month I've just been "trying" to eat right without keeping track or doing anything specific, but I'm not really counting the donuts and tarts and croissants at work Not working out so well.